Metal window sub-frame and wall structure

ABSTRACT

A metal frame member is formed of a flat base plate having a window supporting plate extending from its inner surface intermediate its edges. Extending from the outer surface of the base plate are inner and outer edge flange plates and an intermediate plate adjacent to and wider than the inner flange plate. Interlocked metal wall panels are wedged between the intermediate plate and a seal strip anchored in a groove in the inner surface of the outer edge plate, and dry wall panels, positioned with their edges inserted between the inner edge and intermediate plates, are secured to the intermediate plate and the panels.

United states Patent 91 Riegelman, Jr.

[ 1 Oct. 30, 1973 [54] METAL WINDOW SUB-FRAME AND WALL 3,344,575 10/1967 Grossman 49/504 STRUCTURE 2,701,041 2/1955 Toth 52/208 3,081,852 3/1963 Mendelsohn 49/504 [75] Inventor: Harry M. Riegelman, Jr., Fullerton,

Calm FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,2 7,495 1969 2 208 [73] Assignee: Rusco Industries, Inc., Los Angeles, 9 6/ Germany 5 I Cahf' Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott [22] Filed: Mar. 22, 1971 Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun PP NO': 126,657 Att0rney--Perry E. Turner 7 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. CI 52/208, 52/211, 52/656 metal frame member is formed of a flat base plate [51] I112. Cl E06 having a window pp g plate extending from its Field Of Search 1. inner Surface intermediate its edges Extcnding from 52/210 211-49/504 the outer surface of the base plate are inner and outer edge flange plates and an intermediate plate adjacent [56] References C'ted to and wider than the inner flange plate. Interlocked UNITED STATES/PATENTS metal wall panels are wedged between the intermedi- 3,276,802 12/1966 O'Brien, 52/210 ate plate -and a seal strip anchored in a groove in the 2,616,531 11/1952 Young..... 52/221 inner surface of the outer edge plate, and dry wall 2,813,311 11/1957 Vaughn 49/504 panels, positioned with their edges inserted between -----l--- the inner edge and intermediate plates, are secured to agerty et a 1,860,250 5 1932 Kellogg 52 211 the mtermed'ate Plate and the panels 2,983,001 5/1961 Guldager 52/208 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures ll" [71 H I j 20 Q 24 I Z2 u f 18' 72 52 l 1 I l I l I 74 y BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to metal window structures.

2. Description of the Prior Art Metal window frame and wall structures are known wherein a frame has an outer channel in which the ends of metal wall panels are inserted, and wherein the frame and wall panels are clamped together. In US Pat. No. 2,062,160 ofyR. M. Calkins et a1. entitled, Building Construction, the panels are formed of modules with nested edge walls, the ends of which are inserted in the top and bottom channels of the window frame. Clip bolts with curved ends are used to secure the frame and panels together, wherein the bolts extend through the room-side flange of the frame and are.

hooked over the lips of the nested walls, the parts being held together via nuts threaded over the opposite ends of the bolts. The nuts are turned against the flange so the curved ends of the clip bolts slightly deform the portions of the lips engaged thereby.

Such drawing or clamping together of frame and wall panels presents a number of drawbacks. Thewall panels must be'relatively slidable in the frame channel to permit them to be inserted therein, which means there is play between them. One cannot achieve uniformity of tightening of .all nuts and slight deformations of all lip portions engaged by the hooked ends of the clip bolts. Hence, the frame and wall panels are not formed asa rigid integral structural unit of optimum strength. Further, since the nuts and the bolt ends on which they are threaded are on the room side of the frame, dry wall strips must be built up on the innerface of the flange to athickness greater than such projections so as to SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention embraces a metal window subframe and wall structure comprising a base plate having spaced flange plates extending from its outer surface to provide a channel for wall structures, one of such flange plates being at one edge of the plate and having an inner groove in which a sealing strip is anchored, the wall structures being wedged between such strip and the other flange plate; such base plate terminating adjacent the other edge in a relatively narrow flange plate which together with the intermediate plate provides a dry wall return or receptacle; and the inner surface of the base plate intermediate its edges having an integral plate for supporting a window structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

FIG. I is a perspective view .of a metal subframe of my invention, partly broken away to show the cross I section thereof;

FIG. 2'is a perspective view, partly in section, of a metal wall formed of nested panel modules, showing edges of surrounding dry walls are captured and supported by the sub-frame.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a rectangular sub-frame is formed of a flat base plate 12 having an integral plate 14 extending from its inner surface, the outer face of which is grooved at 16, if desired, so that a seal strip can be locked in the groove.

Extending from the edges of the outer face of the base plate 12 are paralled flange plates 18, 20, and a plate 22 closely spaced and parallel to the flange plate 20 to define a narrow groove 24. As will be noted, the intermediate plate 22 is wider than the flange plate 20. The inner face of the flange plate 18 is shown with a groove 28 for supporting a seal strip to be described.

FIG. 2 shows the sub-frame 10 in phantom within an opening defined by the modules of a metal wall panel 30. The s'ill portion of the frame rests on the upper ends of panel modules of the desired depth for the wall panel 30. The panel modules may be formed as described in my copending application, Metal Building Constructions, SerialNo. 126,656, filed Mar. 22, l97l, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. It will suffice for present purposes to point out that such a module is formed as a plate 32 having major and minor'L-shaped edge walls 33, 34, wherein the minor edge wall 34 of one module is nested in the major edge wall 33 of an adjacent module.

In the arrangement illustrated, the lower part of the frame 10 rests on the upper ends of modules 36-40, of which each of modules 37-40 has its minor edge wall nested in the major edge wall 'of the next lower numbered module. Also, a module 41 forming one end of the frame opening has its minor edge wall nestedin the major edge wall of the module 40.

Like'module 41, a module 42 is provided at the other end of the frame opening. However the modules 36, 42 do not have reentrant portions which nest, but rather such portions are removed and the abutting flat plates are secured together, as by self-tapping screws 44 threaded throughaligned pilot holes therein. As shown, the minor edge wall 34 at the other edge of the panel module 42 is nested in the major edge wall 33 of a panel 41 identical to thelike numbered module 41 previously mentioned.

On the head portion of the'frame 10 are panel modules 36-40', of which the modules 37'-40 are nested like modules 37-40. Similarly, the left edge plate of the module 36' is secured to the plate of the module 42 by self-tapping screws 44, in the same manner as described for the modules 36, 42.

Referring to FIG. 3 along with FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange plate 18 and intermediate plate 22 of the frame are spaced to straddle'the nested modules. The intermediate plate 22 preferably is secured to the modules, as by a self-tapping screw 50 threaded through aligned pilot holes in such wall and nested portions. The inner face of the outer flange plate 18 supports a seal 52, i.e., fitted in the groove 28 shown in FIG. 1. Also shown in FIG. 3, the space between the edge walls of the module .is filled with insulation material 54.

It should be noted that the sub-frame 10 is used to complete the metal wall panel 30. The panel modules 36-41 may be assembled and the sub-frame positioned with its right end and lower horizontal portion straddling such modules, and thereafter completing the wall panel by assembling the modules 36'40' in the upper horizontal portion of the sub-frame and fitting the module 42 in its left end and against the modules 36, 36'. Alternatively, the modules 36-42 may be assembled, the sub-frame slidably moved down between the upstanding portions of the modules 41, 42, and then the modules 36' -40' assembled with their lower ends in the upper portion of the sub-frame. In either event, securing the sub-frame to the interlocked edge walls of the modules makes the sub-frame an integral structural part of the wall panel. In this connection, it will be seen in FIG. 2 that the strip 52 is tightly compressed between the plates 32 of the interlocked modules and the flange plate 18. Thus, the frame and modules are firmly wedged and secured in place when they are forced together to compress the strip.

FIG. 3 also shows a sealing strip 56 located in the groove 16 in the outer face of the plate 14. A glass pane 58 has its edges resting on a cushion 60, and bearing against its outer face is a sealing strip 62 carried in a support structure 64 that is secured to the base plate 12. The support structure 64 in this example is shown as an extrusion 66 that is locked to a ribbed plate 68, such extrusion 66 and plate 68 being secured to the base plate 12 by self-tapping screws 70.

Referring to FIG. 4 along with FIGS. I and 3, a dry wall panel 72 has its upper edge extending into the groove 24 in the lower horizontal portion of the subframe. With panel modules of the above-described shape, the dry wall 72 is secured to the nested portions at spaced intervals, as by self-tapping screws 74. Similarly, the lower edge of a panel module 76 is inserted in the groove 24 in the upper horizontal portion of the frame, and the edges of dry wall panels 78, 80 are fitted in the groove at the ends of the frame. In the same fashion, all such wall panels are secured to the nested portions of the panel modules by the same means 74.

The dry wall panels are plastered to a desired thickness, e.g., to the plane of the inner face of the flange 20. The exposed surfaces of the sub-frame serve as finished surfaces, and therefore do not require piecing and labor for fitting dry wall strips in place and plastering and painting them as with prior art structures. lf desired, the sub-frame may be provided in a desired color (e.g., anodized aluminum), or painted simultaneously with the plaster.

I claim:

1. A combined metal window sub-frame and wall structure comprising: 1

a base plate formed as a closed frame having parallel horizontal portions and parallel vertical portions;

two parallel flange plates extending from the outer edge surfaces of said base plate;

a plate extending from said outer surface intermediate said flange plates which is adjacent to and wider than one of said flange plates;

metal wall panels being formed of modules of plates with major and minor edge walls, the minor edge wall of each module being nested in the major edge wall of the adjacent module,

said metal wall panels having portions inserted between said intermediate plate and the other flange plate, said other flange plate having a groove extending along its inner surface;

a seal strip anchored in said groove, said seal strip being compressed by the inserted wall panel portions so that said wall panel portions are wedged between said strip and said intermediate plate to I secure said frame and wall panels together;

said intermediate plate and said one flange plate being spaced to provide a return channel for receiving the edges of face wall panels;

fasteners threaded through nested edge walls at a plurality of points outwardly of said frame, said fasteners having heads for engaging the face wall panels and securing them to said metal wall panels;

and a plate extending from said inner surface of said base plate for use in supporting a window structure. 

1. A combined metal window sub-frame and wall structure comprising: a base plate formed as a closed frame having parallel horizontal portions and parallel vertical portions; two parallel flange plates extending from the outer edge surfaces of said base plate; a plate extending from said outer surface intermediate said flange plates which is adjacent to and wider than one of said flange plates; metal wall panels being formed of modules of plates with major and minor edge walls, the minor edge wall of each module being nested in the major edge wall of the adjacent module, said metal wall panels having portions inserted between said intermediate plate and the other flange plate, said other flange plate having a groove extending along its inner surface; a seal strip anchored in said groove, said seal strip being compressed by the inserted wall panel portions so that said wall panel portions are wedged between said strip and said intermediate plate to secure said frame and wall panels together; said intermediate plate and said one flange plate being spaced to provide a return channel for receiving the edges of face wall panels; fasteners threaded through nested edge walls at a plurality of points outwardly of said frame, said fasteners having heads for engaging the face wall panels and securing them to said metal wall panels; and a plate extending from said inner surface of said base plate for use in supporting a window structure. 